ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
17TH ASEAN-India Economic Ministers’ Consultations held
Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce and Industry & Railways and H.E. Tran Tuan Anh, Minister of Industry and Trade of Vietnam co-chaired the 17th ASEAN-India Economic Ministers Consultations held virtually on 29th August 2020. The meeting was attended by the Trade Ministers of all the 10 ASEAN countries Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to take collective actions in mitigating the economic impact of the pandemic and resolved to ensure macroeconomic and financial stability and resilient supply chain connectivity, particularly the unimpeded flow of essential goods and medicines in the region, in compliance with the WTO rules.
The Ministers’ discussion centred on the review of the ASEAN India Trade in Goods Agreement . The Ministers appreciated the growing trade ties and deepening economic engagement between two parties. The report of the ASEAN India Business Council  was placed before the Ministers. The AIBC Report has recommended that the AITIGA be reviewed for mutual benefit. The Ministers from India and ASEAN countries instructed the senior officials to start the discussions to determine the scope of the review at the earliest to, inter-alia, make the Free Trade Agreement more user-friendly, simple, and trade facilitative for businesses. The review will make the Agreement modern with contemporary trade facilitative practices, and streamlined customs and regulatory procedures.
Initiating the discussion, Shri Goyal highlighted that the Free Trade Agreement has to be mutually beneficial and a win-win for all sides. Shri Goyal expressed the need to strengthen the Rules of Origin provisions, work towards removal of non-tariff barriers and provide better market access. Minister Goyal reiterated India’s consistent position that the review of the AITIGA has been inordinately delayed and requested for closer engagement towards finalization of the scoping exercise, before the ASEAN-India Leaders’ Summit scheduled in November 2020 and to start the full review before the end of this year. Minister Goyal also stated that India and ASEAN shared a close friendship, strongly tied with historical, cultural and traditional bonds and this relationship will continue to grow for the prosperity of the people of India and the ASEAN countries.
India also made suggestions to further strengthen the AIBC and the Forum agreed to consider these suggestions to deepen the economic engagement between the two parties.
Ministry of Law and Justice
eCourts Mission project aims to connect all District and Subordinate court complexes nationwide with data connectivity to ensure timely justice for all
Bringing effective redressal of cases in courts to everyone’s reach, eCourts Mission project aims to connect all District and Subordinate court complexes nationwide with data connectivity to ensure timely justice for all with a Wide Area Network . 2976 sites out of total 2992, have been commissioned with 10 Mbps to 100 Mbps speed, completing 99.5% of sites.
Prime Minister's Office
PM urges citizens to visit PM Sangrahalaya
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, has urged citizens to visit PM Sangrahalaya.
In response to a tweet by the Union Minister of Tourism, Culture and Development of the North Eastern Region, G Kishan Reddy, the Prime Minister said;
"Light and Sound show at the @PMSangrahalaya will enhance the visiting experience. Do visit."
Ministry of Heavy Industries
Measures for Comprehensive Development of Auto Sector
There are multiple regulations arising due to requirement of meeting internal Standard of Safety, fuel economy and environment across various sectors including Automobile Sector. These are statutory regulations and cannot be termed as over regulation. Moreover, current problems being faced by Auto Industry cannot be attributed to regulatory issue.
The Government, as a policymaker, always attempts to keep and improve momentum of the economy through a package of measure through stakeholder consultations for comprehensive and continued development of the auto sector as and when required. Some of the steps taken by the Government to counter automotive slowdown can be summarized as under:
- Corporate Tax has been reduced to 22% resulting into more savings for the Manufacturing Companies. This move will help in uplifting the market andpromote future investments in turn providing a boost to the economy.
- Government has clearly indicated that Internal Combustion Engine  and Electrical vehicles  will be continued to registerin future. This clarification will clear doubts among the end consumers and hence will help in boosting the sale of ICE and EVs.
- Government is working on a Scrappage Policy.Ministry of Road, Transport & Highways  being the nodal ministry has almost finalized the Scheme. This policy would help to get unfit vehicles off the roads and thus increase the demand for new vehicles.
- Government has announced that funds worth Rs. 70,000 crores will be released for PSU banks’ recapitalization. This would improve the liquidity situation of the banks resulting into more finances available for dealers and end- consumers hence increasing demand for new vehicles.
- RBI has announced that the interest charged for vehicle purchased has to be linked to the Repo rate announced by the Central Bank. This will mean that banks will have to reprice the interest rates on loans every three months resulting in lesser burden for consumer.
This information was given by the Minister of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Prakash Javadekar, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
Prime Minister's Office
PM pays tribute to Mulayam Singh Yadav on his demise
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has condoled the demise of veteran politician Shri Mulayam Singh Yadav. The Prime Minister remarked that Shri Yadav served the people diligently and devoted his life towards popularising the ideals of Loknayak JP and Dr. Lohia. Shri Modi recalled the time when Shri Yadav was the Defence Minister and worked for a stronger India. Recalling his close association with with Shri Yadav, the Prime Minister said that he always looked forward to hearing his views and also shared photographs of their meetings. The Prime Minister expressed deep grief on Shri Yadav’s demise.
In a series of tweets, the Prime Minister tweeted;
“Shri Mulayam Singh Yadav Ji was a remarkable personality. He was widely admired as a humble and grounded leader who was sensitive to people’s problems. He served people diligently and devoted his life towards popularising the ideals of Loknayak JP and Dr. Lohia.”
“Mulayam Singh Yadav Ji distinguished himself in UP and national politics. He was a key soldier for democracy during the Emergency. As Defence Minister, he worked for a stronger India. His Parliamentary interventions were insightful and emphasised on furthering national interest.”
“I had many interactions with Mulayam Singh Yadav Ji when we served as Chief Ministers of our respective states. The close association continued and I always looked forward to hearing his views. His demise pains me. Condolences to his family and lakhs of supporters. Om Shanti.”
Prime Minister's Office
PM bows to Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji on the occasion of Parkash Purab
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has paid tributes to Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji on the sacred occasion of Parkash Purab of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji.
The Prime Minister tweeted;
"On the sacred occasion of his Parkash Purab, I bow to Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji and recall his contribution towards serving humanity. His unparalleled courage will continue to motivate people for years to come."
Ministry of Defence
Aatmanirbhar Bharat: MoD inks over Rs 900 crore contract for Normal Refit of Sindhukirti Submarine at Hindustan Shipyard Limited, Visakhapatnam
In another boost to achieve ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, Ministry of Defence, on March 13, 2023, signed a contract for Normal Refit of Sindhukirti Submarine at Hindustan Shipyard Limited , Visakhapatnam at an overall cost of Rs 934 crore. Sindhukirti is 3rd Kilo Class Diesel Electric Submarine. After completion of refit, Sindhukirti will be combat worthy and will join the active submarine fleet of the Indian Navy.
This refit has been offloaded to develop alternate repair facility for submarines and is a further step towards undertaking Medium refit with Life Certification at HSL. The project involves more than 20 Micro Small and Medium Enterprises  and would lead to employment generation of 1,000 mandays per day for the project duration.
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Ministry of Minority Affairs
WOMEN TRAINED UNDER NAI ROSHNI SCHEME
During the last three years, i.e., 2019-20 to 2021-22, around 40,000 women have been trained all over India including 375 in West Bengal. The community-wise breakup of trained women for the last three years in the State of West Bengal is as under: Muslims -353, Christians -7, and Non Minority -15.
The agencies approved by the Ministry select the women belonging to all minorities notified under Section 2 of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992 viz, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist, Zoroastrian  and Jain. Beneficiaries having annual income, not exceeding Rs.2.50 lakh from all sources, are given preference in selection for training under the scheme. The agencies also take the assistance of the head of Gram Panchayat / Municipal Body / Local Authority for identification / selection of women trainees.
No training centres are set up by the Ministry under this scheme. The selected agencies are required to implement the projects directly through their organizational set-up in the locality/ village/ area in which training is conducted. In the State of West Bengal, the agencies have implemented the scheme in Darjeeling, Murshidabad and North 24 Parganas district during the last three years.
The eligibility criteria for selection of organization/agency under the said scheme is available on <http://nairoshni-moma.gov.in.>. Nai Roshni scheme has now been merged as a component of Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan  scheme w.e.f F.Y. 2022-23, aiming to improve livelihoods of minorities, particularly artisan communities, through skill development, education and leadership training, to support their entrepreneurship interventions.
This information was given by the Union Minister of Minority Affairs, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Culture
Ministry of Culture to Organise ‘HAR Ghar Tiranga’ Bike Rally of MPs in Delhi Tomorrow
The Vice President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, to flag off the Rally
Under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav  “Har Ghar Tiranga” will be celebrated across the Nation from 13th August 2023 – 15th August 2023 wherein people will be encouraged to hoist flags in their premises.
To ensure massive outreach of the Har Ghar Tiranga Campaign and ensure high Jan Bhagidari , a Tiranga Bike Rally with Members of Parliament and Ministers is being organized on 11th August 2023 at 08.00 AM at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. Bike rally will be flagged-off by the Vice President of India Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar. Minister of Culture, Tourism and Development of North Eastern Region, Shri G. Kishan Reddy will also present remain on the occasion.
After being flagged off by the Vice President of India Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, the bike rally will reach the India Gate circle. The rally will complete a circle of the India Gate, crossing the Kartavya Path and will culminate at Major Dhyan Chand Stadium.
‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav ’ is an ongoing celebration to commemorate the 75 glorious years of a progressive independent India. This initiative by the Government of India aims to bring in focus on the freedom struggle, and the milestones this nation has achieved. AKAM is dedicated to the people of India who have been instrumental in the development of the country and its evolutionary journey. ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign was launched from 13th – 15th August 2022 to encourage the citizens to hoist the National Flag of India in their homes. The idea behind the campaign is to instill the feeling of patriotism in the hearts of people and reminisce the journey of India and those who have contributed towards creating this great nation. Last year, this campaign witnessed immense success wherein Crores of households hoisted the Tiranga in their homes physically and six Crore people uploaded selfies on Har Ghar Tiranga website.
Website- https://harghartiranga.com
https://amritmahotsav.nic.in
Ministry of Textiles
PPE KITS
Personal Protective Equipment  refers to protective gears used for personal protection of users working in different hazardous conditions, including for healthcare professionals. During the COVID-19 pandemic bio hazard Personal Protective Equipment  suitable for COVID-19 protection  were developed and manufactured in the country. Development and production of two of its major components i.e. Body Coveralls and N-95 Masks were coordinated by the Ministry of Textiles. As per estimates based in inputs provided by the industry, the country has manufactured nearly 6 crore PPE Body Coveralls and 15 crore N-95 masks during April to December 2020 period.
Nearly 1100 manufacturers had registered for PPE Body Coveralls and more than 200 manufacturers for N-95 mask manufacturing. The production capacity in the country achieved is 4.5 Lakh per day for PPE Body Coveralls and 32 Lakh per day for N-95 production. As per Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India has procured 1.56 crore PPE Body Coveralls and 2.79 Crore N-95 masks. In addition, State Government agencies, private hospitals, individuals also have procured PPE Coveralls and N-95 masks extensively.
Technical requirements of PPE Coveralls and N-95 masks are governed by Bureau of Indian Standards , IS 17423:2020 for PPE Body Coveralls and IS 9473:2002 for N-95/ FFP-2 masks. The average market size of this newly created industry is around Rs.7000 crores.
(Countries which received official assistance from Government of India are China, Israel, Iran, Italy, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Jordan, Botswana, Azerbaijan, Serbia, Germany, Spain, USA, UAE, DR Congo, South Africa, Afghanistan, Australia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Guatemala, Ecuador, Bolivia, Cuba, Peru, Venezuela, Paraguay.
This information was given in a written reply by the Union Minister of Textiles, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani in Lok Sabha today.
Ministry of Micro,Small & Medium Enterprises
Many initiatives taken by KVIC in Goa
Khadi and Village Industries Commission  and Goa Government and have joined hands with an aim to generate employment opportunities in Goa. The Chief Minister of Goa along with the KVIC Chairman recently distributed electric potter wheels to 160 families and new models Charkhas  to 50 trained women. This will create direct employment to 700 people. KVIC is also establishing a Lijjat Papad unit in Goa, which will create 200 direct jobs to the local women. It may be noted that these initiatives are first of its kind in Goa because there was no spinning and weaving activity, no Lijjat Papad unit in Goa earlier. Further for the first time electric potter wheels have been given to replace the traditional potter wheel which was highly labour intensive and less efficient in terms of production. KVIC has already helped 1,000 people to get employment with these initiatives.
Known for its picturesque beaches, natural landscapes and also as one of the preferred destinations of both national and international tourists, KVIC in a short span of two months, identified beneficiaries from various villages such as Morjim, Old Goa, Panjim, Bicholim, Sakhali, Mappasa, Dabhal and Madgaon and organized trainings in pottery, bee keeping, spinning and Papad making. The move will assist the locals and help in creation of jobs. Chairman KVIC Mr. Saxena said that KVIC will create 10,000 new jobs in the current financial year in Goa. Chief Minister Mr. Sawant expressed his happiness and thanked KVIC for taking these unique initiatives for creating job opportunities to the local people in a record time.
KVIC also participated in the vibrant Goa event as partner and put up 30 stalls to showcase various Khadi and Village Industries products from across the country. In the three days event a record sale of Rs. 60 Lakhs was reported.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
COVID19: Busting Myths
Government committed to fighting COVID in Rural and far flung areas
India is the second largest manufacturer of PPE kits in the world; PPE kits were made available to states in excess of their demands
Some twitter users of late had tweeted about the management of COVID-19 in rural settings. Issues raised in these tweets range from lack of testing, isolation and clinical management facilities at village level, overmedication by healthcare workers, scarcity of PPE etc.
The availability of Rapid Antigen Kit and provision for swabbing for RT-PCR test in a primary health center located in a remote interior village in the hills, as brought out in these tweets, is testimony to the commitment of the Government to manage COVID in rural and far-flung areas. The PHC doctors have been trained in COVID testing protocol as evolved by Indian Council of Medical Research.
Taking note of ingress of COVID-19 cases from peri-urban and rural areas of the country during the resurgence of COVID-19 trajectory in preceding months, the Ministry of Health & Family has issued an SOP on COVID-19 Containment & Management in Peri-urban, Rural & Tribal areas. The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare also ensured that these guidelines are widely circulated to the remotest health facilities.
States have been advised explicitly that under no circumstances should patients be isolated at home, if they don’t fulfill the norms stipulated by the home isolation guidelines which focus on adequate number of rooms to self-isolate and the presence of a care giver. Further on insistence of the Central Government, States have developed a stringent mechanism to monitor patients under home isolation on a daily basis. Patients who don’t have the requisite facilities at home, are always advised to be kept in COVID Care Centers for which the Government created over 10 lakh isolation beds across the country.
The Government of India created a large number of manufacturing facilities for production of PPEs. So much so that we are now the second largest manufacturers of PPEs in the world and have the capacity to manufacture about 10 lakh PPEs per day. PPEs have been made available to the States in excess of their demands. Hence the allegation in these tweeted threads that health workers don’t have requisite PPEs is untenable.
Ministry of Defence
Army Commanders’ Conference Scheduled from 18 To 22 April 2022 at New Delhi
Army Commanders’ Conference is scheduled from 18-22 April 2022 at New Delhi. Army Commanders’ Conference is an apex level biannual event which is held in April and October every year. The conference is an institutional platform for conceptual level deliberations, culminating in making important policy decisions for the Indian Army.
During the conference, the senior leadership of the Indian Army will review the operational situation along the active borders, assess threats in the entire spectrum of conflict and undertake analysis of capability voids to further focus on capability development & operational preparedness plans. Discussions on aspects pertaining to infrastructure development in border areas, modernisation through indigenisation, induction of Niche tech and assessment on any impact of the Russia - Ukraine war are also scheduled.
Various agenda points sponsored by regional commands will be deliberated upon by the senior commanders apart from proposals concerning improving works, financial management, introducing e-vehicles, and digitisation in the Indian Army. As part of the conference, Boards of Governors meetings of the Army Welfare Education Society  and Army Group Insurance Fund  will be organised.
The Hon’ble Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh is expected to interact with the senior commanders and address the Conference on 21 April 2022. The conference is also a formal forum for senior leadership of Indian Army to interact with the senior functionaries of the Department of Military Affairs and Department of Defence during the MoD Interaction Session.
Ministry of Home Affairs
The Union Home Secretary held review meeting on implementation of decisions on COVID-19 in Delhi taken on June 21 in meeting chaired by the Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah
Meeting noted decisions were being implemented in smooth and timely manner and COVID-19 response plan was finalised for Delhi
Re-drawing of containment zones including all clusters of COVID-19 outbreak in Delhi would be completed by June 26, as per the timeline fixed by Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah
According to directives of Union Home Minister, discussion took place on serological survey in Delhi, to be carried out jointly by NCDC and Delhi Government beginning June 27
The Union Home Secretary held a meeting on 25 June, to review implementation of various decisions on COVID-19 in Delhi which were taken on June 21 in a meeting chaired by the Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah. Member Niti Aayog Dr. V.K. Paul, Director AIIMS Dr. Randeep Guleria, Director General ICMR Dr. Balram Bhargava along with Delhi’s Chief Secretary & Health Secretary attended the meeting.
In the meeting held by Union Home Secretary, it was clearly noted that decisions were being implemented in a smooth and timely manner and a COVID-19 response plan was finalised for Delhi. District level teams for COVID-19 related tasks were also constituted.
It was also informed in the meeting that the re-drawing of containment zones including all clusters of COVID-19 outbreak in Delhi would be completed by June 26, as per the timeline fixed by the Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah. Completion of door to door health survey would also be done by June 30.
According to the directives of the Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah, discussion took place on the serological survey in Delhi, which will be carried out jointly by NCDC and the Delhi Government. The survey will begin from June 27 and training of the concerned survey teams was completed yesterday.
The Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah also approved the combined use of the Aarogya Setu & Itihaas apps as strong predictive tools for future detection of COVID-19 outbreaks in population clusters. Training on the combined use of the apps was imparted by NCDC trainers to the district teams of the Delhi Government yesterday.
Cabinet
Cabinet approves the extension of tenure of the Commission constituted to examine the issue of Sub-categorization within Other Backward Classes in the Central List
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the final extension of the term of the Other Backward Classes in the Central List currently mandated upto 20th June 2018, till 31st July, 2018.
The Commission held extensive meetings with the stake holders including the State Governments, the State Backward Classes Commissions, various community associations and general public belonging to various Backward Classes and Communities. The Commission also obtained records, caste-wise of OBCs admitted in higher educational institution as well as similar caste-wise data of recruits in Central Departments, Central Public Sector Undertakings, Public Sector Banks & Financial Institutions.
To have a detailed look at the data collected, the Commission has sought extension of its term 31st July, 2018.
Prime Minister's Office
Mr. Akio Toyoda, President Toyota, and Mr. O. Suzuki, Chairman Suzuki, call on PM
Mr. Akio Toyoda, President Toyota, and Mr. O. Suzuki, Chairman Suzuki, call on PM